


tell me how you feel

by rib14



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, hey austin jace & addax have good communication ACTUALLY, it's all c/w babey, this is technically a response to tm63 but dw there's nothing even close to tm spoilers here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15745212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rib14/pseuds/rib14
Summary: addax talks to jace about his job.





	tell me how you feel

**Author's Note:**

> today's fic is brought to you by: spite! sometimes ur faves are implied to have had bad communication n u gotta be like, no actually. they have character development.

One day, Addax comes home from work to his and Jace’s tiny apartment in Centralia at about 9pm, and the door slams differently. Jace hears it, startling him out of his thoughts, and he immediately sets down his tablet where he was working on his thesis to find his husband sitting on the couch, head in his hands. 

“Hey babe, welcome home. I missed you. What’s wrong?” Jace says, sitting down next to Addax.

Addax sighs. “Hey honey. I missed you too. It’s just--I can’t do this anymore. Work for the Evening, I mean.”

Jace frowns. Addax had complained to him about his organization before, their overreaching and sometimes authoritarian approach to maintaining the sector that he felt went against his own beliefs, but he never looked this hopeless before. “What happened?”

Addax takes Jace’s hand in his and exhales. “They want me to take the Gnossis virus. My next mission is to barge into a research lab in the Demarchy and just--take a weapon that can change the face of planets. They won’t even tell me what they want to use it for.”

Jace doesn’t know what to say, so he just squeezes Addax’s hand, trying to convey all his love and support into the gesture. It’s moments like these when Jace can really see how much Addax has changed in the last 20 years. He spent so much time in the sim with a man who never questioned his cause, who was willing to kill and die to uphold an empire that was more than willing to throw him away without a second thought. And now, here he was. Questioning. Telling someone else his doubts. At this point that wasn’t anything new but every time still felt like a little victory for the both of them.

“We’re not preparing for a war anymore, I don’t understand. We beat Rigor. What we need now, as ridiculous as I feel saying it, is peace. And they want order.”

Jace leans his head on Addax’s shoulder. They’re both holding back tears. “You can quit, you know. You don’t have to fake your death to get out of your job every time.” Addax snorts and a tear begins to fall down his cheek. Jace half-smiles. “Most people in the Golden Branch have had quit multiple jobs and have  _ never _ faked their deaths. We’re really in the minority for that one.”

“I think we’re unique in the star sector for a few more reasons than that, sweetheart.” 

Jace’s smile grows wider. “Well of course, how could I forget that I’m married to the best kisser in the Golden Branch Star Sector,” he says, leaning in to let Addax prove it. He obliges, for a few seconds, before pulling back, hesitating. “Do you really think I should quit?”

“Honey, I think you should do whatever makes you feel best. You know I’ve had my issues with the Evening, but I know how much it means to you,” he puts his hand on the back of Addax’s neck and strokes his cheek with his thumb. “You had a whole life with them while I was in the sim, and I know how important being part of a group is to you. Who am I to take that away?”

Now Addax really is crying. “I love you.”

Jace wipes a tear from Addax’s cheek. “I love you too. Do you want to keep talking about this?”

A pause. A sigh. “I think I’m gonna quit. Neither of us need to be fighting a war anymore. We’ve done enough of that.”

Jace smiles and gives him a soft kiss on the lips. “I’m proud of you.” 

“Thank you for making me feel better about this whole thing. I don’t know what I would do without you, Jace.”

“Join the Rapid Evening? Sorry, sorry that was too far.” Jace smiles apologetically. Addax rolls his eyes and Jace kisses his cheek. “But really... you’re welcome, babe. I just want you to be happy. You know I’m always here when you need to talk.” A pause. “We need a vacation, huh?”

“Didn’t you just tell me before I left that you needed to be working on your thesis at all times right now?”

Jace groans, collapsing onto Addax again. “Fuck. You’re right. Once I’m finished with that goddamn thing, we’re taking a  _ long _ vacation, okay? Somewhere nobody’s gonna recognize us or anything. Somewhere I can just be with you. Deal?”

Addax smiles and puts his hands in Jace’s hair, kissing the top of his head. “Deal. Now let’s get up, I think we both have something we need to work on writing.”

**Author's Note:**

> hey! thx 4 reading! if ur austin walker & u wanna talk abt why i hated That One Line in tm63, or if ur anyone else n u wanna talk abt anything fatt-related, hmu on twitter @jaceaddax


End file.
